Akai MPC Live II - SonicLAB Review

Another day, another embargo release! Full details of the brand new Akai MPC Live II - which updates the original Live model, retains the battery power, adds speakers, and those all important CV outputs, as well as updating to the new and improves OS 2.8 which inlcudes the rather exciting MIDI host mode.
Gaz Williams takes a look for us.
MPC Live II is available immediately with a US retail price of $1199
MPC 2.8 is also available immediately as a free download for all MPC Live, MPC Live II, MPC X and MPC One users
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[@madguy228]

seeing gaz jam in a car with dj lethal made this an extremely worthwhile watch in and of itself

[@shahzebqader1268]

A standalone video would be nice too

[@robertsyrett1992]

@@shahzebqader1268 Feature film directed by McG would be even better.

[@GazWilliams]

Haha cool! I have an episode of my LA Stories coming up which will tell all...

[@AveMcree]

that shit was dope

[@audreyazwell]

Couldn't agree more 🙌

[@pontiuspilates]

Gaz is such a cheerful man. Kinda always raises my spirits after watching him.

[@grumpycomposer5658]

Vytautas Šileika he’s very chipper. I once walked into my local book store in London and the usually chipper salesman was telling his workmate that someone had complained about him being too chipper. He said “I’m not too chipper am I?” His mate said “no, no no...actually you’re not chipper at all.” From the behind the book shelf I had to say something...”actually yes, my friend, I’ve often come into this shop and thought, “my God, you are the most chipper person I have ever met...and it actually verges on being very very annoying!” ‘. I instantly regretted my words as he was involved in a terrible accident the next day. C’est la vie. 🤷‍♂️

[@pontiuspilates]

@@grumpycomposer5658 you sir art funny

[@BrancoArgenta]

Instead of the speakers they should have implemented a Cappuccino maker

[@UndoingRuin08]

hell yeah or a paper shredder

[@oddlyonlyjack9560]

Smart keg

[@Juksemakeren]

Or a syringe dispenser. (To not discriminate against other types of junkies)

[@philippesteindl3356]

Gaz seems to be able to do whatever and always come across as the friendliest man on the planet.

[@LaymensLament]

he should start an insurance company then :>

[@AndyVonal]

MP CLive the Second...lol...got to buy one just for that!

[@Nonpartisanmusic]

Owned the first MPC live. But sold it as I work more with vsts to get my sound. Got a Novation mini MK3 instead + my MacBook and the possibilities are limitless plus it's way easier to carry. The MPC is actually a beast could hardly fit in my rucksack. This one? No way you'll be taking it around too big... Video deserves a like just for the intro. Well done boys.

[@teabreakbeats]

haha - I agree, I got the Live Mk1 for travelling but it is an absolute pain to take on flights (can't check in because of the battery) - taking it through security if you are carrying laptops / ipads etc is not a fun experience...and I ALWAYS get pulled up for additional chemistry scans because of it!

[@Tourasaur]

Gaz's room is near enough exactly as I'd imagined.

[@MinPlanck]

Looks like a lot of fun and really powerful at the centre of a setup. That little Stylophone sounds crazy and bloody huge for its footprint! Great review Gaz. Cheers!

[@dracul74]

I love my 1st gen Live. If you have an eKit... it is a perfect drum midi recorder and with a guitar modeler it is a great grab and go recorder. Add all the in box features and couldn’t be happier.

[@billysunshine9100]

Nice suggestions man, great use of the product. I always enjoy plugging ekits into different keyboards and modules.

[@areyoujelton]

Yeah I’ve been recording demos with mine! I am also happy I got mine at a steal on zZounds “blemished” ahahaha

[@dracul74]

@@Hooked_on_Gyro hi... I just meant it has no built in guitar amp modeling... so if you wanted to record guitar into it you need to provide the amp sound... hardware or software modeler work fine or real amp and mic. Btw, a year later and I still use it.

[@iantanner7579]

Bought my MPC60ii from MusicLab in '91 for £1,600 new, - still going, never had a single issue with it. Would be great if Akai done the ASQ-10 again, but with added CV/gate, - mine still works, but i bought secondhand, and it's definitely seen better days.. They could call it the ASQ-10M, and market towards synth-users and eurocrack-heads... these new models just do too much, which is great, but personally, all i need is a blank sampler and a decent sequencer, with tons of connectivity...

[@soundretarded]

The Mighty 60! Still rocking mines to bro!

[@limbicbits]

Nice review. But having built in speakers on a portable unit to me it sounds like a contradiction. Most traveling artists have to count every gram due to weight limitations (and after all carrying heavy gear just becomes annoying). I don't understand why this is almost never being mentioned. If needed, one could easily carry around a battery powered speaker aside optionally without having to be forced to carry extra weight. And even IF you like the idea of included speakers: It would drive me nuts that these are placed below my hands / arms during the performance instead of sitting on top. Won't this affect the sound negatively?

[@DNYLNY]

It’s not mentioned bc It’s two extra lbs... relatively nothing compared to things like synths and DJ decks.

[@limbicbits]

@@DNYLNY but it's still two extra lbs that are not necessary and could cost you your hand luggage status when checking in.I find this quite a lot , tbh. I thought it would be even less. 2 lbs? I would rather carry a Microfreak or a Modal Skulpt than a speaker with me. Or just be happy to not carry a redundant speaker around that I most likely won't use at all. Again, if I carry around synths it's a free decision which is not given here. And trust me, if you're travelling a lot, 2 lbs is a thing.

[@Wagoo]

I think if they wanted to do this they could have used very lightweight planar-magnetic speakers in the side panels of the original form factor

[@VJFranzK]

Possibly the most fun of the many MPC L 2 reviews! B - ) great discussion as always.

[@dianevrules]

If I were in the market to buy an X, I would cancel those plans and buy a Live II and One for less than the price of an X. That way I can have a truly mobile unit with internal speakers and a portable unit that I can use anywhere in the house without being confined to a studio. Akai is murdering the game with the Live II and the One

[@AveMcree]

I bet a refresh of the X is coming soon. If not in the works.

[@InkyDaCaT]

Thanks Gaz, looed like a wild trip in USA lol

[@candyflip6345]

Best MPC review ever made! Thanks so much!

[@TeraGreene1]

I have the MPC Live and it's nice that they went to a quarter inch headphone jack finally.

[@AveMcree]

lol I'm 3 for 3 on the people I knew would review this product... At least it's available right now (I bought mine quickly).

[@sizzahandz1]

Canceled my mpc 1 order to get it

[@difflocktwo]

well it's the usual suspects, isn't it?

[@limbicbits]

Also, Please Akai Pro - PLEASE implement disk streaming finally. All these features are nice add-ons but you keep promising this one as "will be next" for years now.

[@BlackCat-on6jn]

The absence of Nick Batt because there is no PWM

[@AdrianGeorges]

Great Knowledge, well explained. The Santa Monica Jam is cool and unexpected.

[@atribecalledjack6707]

MP Clive. I’m never gonna unsee that now 😂

[@rdean150]

From what I recall from checking in on the official Akai forums occasionally over the past few years, the pervasive request from users has been either for increased RAM or for the ability to stream samples direct from disk. But hey, built in speakers lol. The interface for managing the various MIDI devices does seem very good for a standalone hardware device.

[@Kablehead]

Freaking great intro!!! :D

[@MrBothandNether]

Thanx for the breakdown! The MPC was such a huge universe to explore, -I only scratched the surface of it's sequencing and looping potential. It's all about the pads, imo....super good for finger drummers. I think they kinda wrote the book on pads, didn't they? Traded mine to the missus in exchange for her getting me an Abyss. I learned to sail there before I could drive, So glad you got to sea our green little ocean, Gaz. :)

[@TRADESMAN-xt4ce]

Cool review gaz is a legend

[@otobotrecords]

Good to know that Il Duce from the Boondock Saints has found a new venture in audio equipment.

[@cresshead]

excellent stuff...this review actually got me to also look into the mpc one as well. as well as the pc variant of the software..Hmm.. interesting stuff!

[@prospectnyc]

MP Clive the Second. I spilled my coffee lol.

[@anonymoushuman8344]

I'm looking for a self-contained hardware sampler that lends itself to being played polyphonically with a keyboard, as well as to capturing sounds from the immediate physical environment, pitching them chromatically, and situating them on my keyboard. I want a dedicated, portable hardware device that could easily be used in the way that people used to use a Synclavier or a Fairlight. Could an Akai MPC Live be used in this way? Any suggestions?

[@caktalfraktal]

the MC-707 is a good option too for this type of thing

[@PHeMoX]

They reeeeally should have put the monitors on the other side if there's any kind of point in using them for 'live' performances without active speakers plugged in??

[@MrKeys57]

I think the built in speakers are just meant for monitoring the sound to yourself when playing at home

[@inthefade]

@@MrKeys57 Yes or for monitoring when doing field recordings, backpacking in the mountains or whatever.

[@MrKeys57]

@@inthefade Lol

[@quantumeseboy]

Would be great if Akai put Miniak engine inside MPC.

[@inthefade]

AFAIK the Miniak was a collaboration with Novation? If so (that came out so long ago I could be wrong) the engine is probably proprietary and licensed only for that hardware.

[@Wagoo]

@@inthefade Alesis. It's like the Micron. Which is like the larger Ion..

[@Claidheambmor]

Great review Gareth. I'm not feeling this upgrade at all, the MPC X, Live and One were fine without another addition to the lineup. In fact, I would rather they'd just made only two boxes - the X and some sort of amalgamation of the Live and One, with a battery and more buttons. One large tabletop space station like the 2500 and a smaller unit with with fewer controls which could be powered with a battery pack or some sort of add-on if necessary. Grumbles aside, they are really good machines. The internal storage of all units is easily bolstered with an SD card. I would like to see an expanded chord mode akin to the Kordbot in functionality. I'd also like to see drum pattern generation like Patterning on iOS. In fact, Max 4 Live-style internal plugin devixes would be incredible. Upgrades like this would propel the MPC beyond even a DAW in terms of songwriting, as without third-party plugins or hardware the melodic and harmonic generation elements of these boxes are a little dry.

[@dianevrules]

X is for mfs who want a full size MPC workstation with a massive screen Live II is for mfs who want all the important features in an X, but with a portable battery and external speakers. So the ish is truly standalone and mobile. One is for mfs who want a portable solution without an internal speaker and portable battery. But with all the important features of an X. I didnt care for a Live. Because you couldnt play ish aloud without using headphones or external speakers. Live II came to the rescue. Now mfs can audition their music in public settings without hooking up any speakers. Akai did this ish right.

[@Beatz-Pocket]

Somebody here who knows if the mpc can send midi to iPad ? Is there a workaround ? Thanks for sharing👍🏽👍🏽

[@joebrewer4529]

Now we know who was the phantom of the paradise! Carburetors man that's what life is all about.

[@mckaman8353]

Great video! Love u Gaz!

[@iTimestretcher]

I bet you would love the Akai Force.

[@PnPModular]

Hey Gaz mate love your down to earth reviews feels like you hinted at some more details in the summary at the end would love to have a follow up on this video to get a feel of your opinion has changed...

[@detrechter5416]

Gaz....would you consider to do a studio tour? I ‘d really like to see that...

[@nativeVS]

Can you access the storage drive over the network via NFS, SMB or something similar? I'd love a drum machine that I can quickly dump samples from my DAW into.

[@maxmatson1578]

Gaz I wanted to ask your opinion? I'm thinking of getting a new drum machine, and I'm not sure if I want to get the arturia drumbrute, arturia drumbrute impact, or the Behringer Rd. 808. Or wait for the 909 clone Behringer to do? I like the variety that the drumbrute has with two different kicks and two Toms, but I think the snare on the impact sounds better. And I do like the concept that Behringer is making perfect clone of the 808. But I'm just kind of don't know what to make my mind up on? I go for more aggressive sounding drum stuff like "Industrial". I just like to ask your opinion. Thank you!🙏👍✌

[@GazWilliams]

All good choices. Drumbrute and Rd-8 let you tap individual outputs. Impact also can tap some outputs too. I mention this as the sound possibilities expand hugely especially if you have some outboard or fx pedals.

[@maxmatson1578]

@@GazWilliams Thank you for responding back! I appreciate it very much.🙏👍👍 If I could ask you one question? out of those three choices, what would you consider your favorite? Drumbrute, the drumbrute impact, or the Behringer 808?

[@soundretarded]

Get one of the MPCs.

[@christianthompson1473]

Are the audio tracks still essentially handled like samples? They are triggered and then play through or are they now like DAW audio?

[@corican]

Thanks! Great review 👍

[@SampathHebbar]

Dee.. Jay.. leee.. thal.. bring it ON!! YEAH

[@purplecoinofficial]

When I use the audio interface mode, does the computer's sound come out to the built-in speaker?

[@michelgarcia5147]

you had my like the moment I saw u jammin with Lethal in that Caddy

[@garygood6593]

Gaz is the man

[@waheex]

Great tutorial for noobs like me who have never used an MPC before,

[@tonhueb429]

Nice jam in the car on the beach

[@gpr4eva]

CV, more buttons & a speaker? Kool i guess

[@wul01]

Let’s hope it’s build quality is better than Mpc one , a solder pads on the circuit board for the main button have lifted, causing the button to fail . uk support gave hardly any help.

[@bukaglasna]

Apart from external notes on midi-in can it record midi cc like pitchbend or filter cutoff as editable automation data? Thanx

[@inthefade]

That has been available since the older MPC models. I can only speak for my mpc-1000, but MIDI sequencing is one of the features that the mpc line is most well-known for, so they should have that functionality in this recent line.

[@javest]

What mic stand did you use for the MPC Live?

[@bboymac84]

ok den Gaz!! Rock that shit!!

[@ElPoorKnow]

Can you multi midi via din and a thru box or just usb midi?

[@michaeltravis3562]

……sounds a lot like famed astrophysicist Brian Cox. 👍🏽😄 random radness

[@colinross7507]

GAZ where did you get the stand for the MPC? would the MPC X fit on it?

[@GazWilliams]

Colin Ross it’s an old Quik Lok tape machine remote stand I think. But yes the MPC X would fit perfectly as you can draw out the sides. You can adjust the rake angle too by quite a large amount. I can’t find a model number on it though sorry!

[@colinross7507]

@@GazWilliams thanks gaz

[@jimmywheelo]

Not sure about Speakers

[@richardgullick1867]

Does anybody know what stand he is using?

[@querydelacroix2919]

I see that title.

[@janhenckell4178]

uhh i‘m not sure akai is pleased with roger linn being mentioned. i hope it works out well for you. it would be super cool if akai would accept mk1 models as tradi-ins and not let the owners flood the secondhand markets.

[@inthefade]

Flooded market just means cheaper mk1s for everyone! Seriously ,I don't see why anyone would upgrade.

[@Wagoo]

Eh? Why would they have a hatred of Rodge being mentioned?

[@janhenckell4178]

@@Wagoo kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJWwg6uLeJxqiLM

[@elissitdesign]

So many shortcomings with this device I consider it a failed update. It hardly meets 2014 specs. RAM, Disk space, streaming, audio inputs, unrequested speaker, to name the obvious.

[@Claidheambmor]

I think the RAM and disk space are alright, especially as the latter is easily and cheaply expanded. Disk streaming would be nice, I didn't realise how useful this would be until I tried it on the Octatrack. The speakers are... Yeah.

[@DeeJay003]

They mysteriously refuse to have upgradable ram. It makes it useless if you want to do complex tracks with your own samples. It has below the minimum spec for the most basic Daw.

[@inthefade]

@@DeeJay003 Agreed they should have expandable RAM. I have a $500 recording computer with came with 16gb, so it is absurd.

[@MonoJonno]

The right honourable "MP Clive II" hahaha

[@christianthompson1473]

What are the extra buttons?

[@jonathanray4987]

MP Clive the second. lol nice one Gaz

[@johnthecloud]

Still no disk streaming though!

[@soupforare]

HOW ITYOOL 2020 did it not SHIP with this. Gigasampler was twenty five years ago ffs

[@els1f]

Wow, fr? That's genuinely interesting/confusing. I wonder why not 🤔

[@johnthecloud]

@@soupforare yep, and my Deluge streams samples from an SD card no problem at all. I bought the MPC Live over 2 years ago, and disk streaming was always the "next thing". Don't get me wrong, they've introduced some really cool stuff, like the onboard synths, and extra effects, and now proper midi control, but disk streaming was really what I have been waiting for, and with it hopefully an increase in the number of audio track available.

[@dianevrules]

@@johnthecloud It definitely needs it. I ran out of memory after recording 4 stereo audio tracks for a 5 minute song. 2GB isnt ish if you are using the audio tracks in that regard. But Im sure that will come in a another update. then these mf units will be flying off the shelves faster than they are now.

[@soupforare]

@@johnthecloud The 'force' is in the same boat, I don't know who green lit that thing for launch without streaming. It could be the hottest standalone recorder every made and welp... it's uncanny.

[@officialsimonharris]

Move some of the buttons around and stick a little ghettoblaster on the bottom . . . meanwhile over at Elektron

[@colinross7507]

The song in Santa Monica has got legs lol

[@Ayo.Ajisafe]

Cadillac Jam!!!!!

[@shookstylez]

Moog One VS Akai MPC LIVE II?

[@AndresWS]

What are your needs?

[@inthefade]

The Akai Force is much cheaper, and I'm not sure what the benefits of this are compared to that, unless you just like the larger pads and the more typical "MPC workflow". I guess the speakers would be useful along with the battery power if I wanted to use it as a mobile recording setup. Checking that the recordings are good, but headphones should work fine for that, and being able to walk into a forest and bang rocks together or whatever is a novel idea. But I'm still happy that I paid for the Force and it is in the mail. I guess I'll have to really play with it before saying that for sure, but none of this update seem worth the extra $$$. edit: I have to say that Having two MIDI in and out ports and on actual 5-pin DIN is a big benefit, but I have a Quadra-thru and the power adapter for that to add 5v only adds $50 to my overall cost.

[@christianthompson1473]

I had the mk1 for a month. There was no real visual representation of everything that is going on at any one time which i struggled with. No change there i guess?

[@inthefade]

The MPC workflow generally requires you have a sense of everything you've done and are doing.

[@christianthompson1473]

@@inthefade i wonder why daws are so popular?

[@Jason75913]

@@christianthompson1473 lots of people love a "do everything" box, hence standalone hardware DAWs like MPC Lives, MODX, or Kross2 are so popular, yes, and they require that you know what you're doing for best results, same as PC-based DAWs, so why whine about lack of complete visual representation of what goes on? All good DAWs have plenty of menu/window-diving, though I figure that could be mostly avoidable with a few dozen monitors/TVs in your setup or something. Take into account that most people just make the best of only one limited screen in front of them, and as well as that you can't ask for a big screen in a device meant to be portable, so visual real estate will be even more limited. I don't know how limited the visuals are in those portable MPCs, but if you know what you've got going, then you shouldn't have any serious issues.

[@word2RG]

No phantom mic support? Thats a big over-site imo. Incomprehensible, really.. for such an otherwise well-appointed stand-alone.

[@jason3534]

And my force and I get forgotten

[@morrisgabo8585]

they didn´t upgrade the RAM memory......... wtf?

[@Cowboy-Ben-Alman]

What stand are you using?

[@dwb1980]

I doubt you'd stand it

[@TeraGreene1]

MP Clive the Second. haha

[@chris5375]

Why the hell, not Andy Mac ?

[@sonicstate]

Coz he cant come to our studios at the moment?

[@chris5375]

sonicstate sorry, I forgot covid 😊

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

He looks like Zeus. Lol.

[@jimmygray3452]

This vs. the MPC One?

[@AveMcree]

there basically the same damn product lol.. The Live is portable with more HD space, speaker, wifi, and bluetooth. The OS and internals are the same.

[@inthefade]

There is so little difference and the One is half the price. No battery and slightly less I/O.

[@soundretarded]

Live 2 or Live over the One in my opinion.

[@lukebogacik2793]

Love the first Live but, quit charging 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

[@LarcTald]

This soft touch finnish is the worst. it AAAAAALWAYS looks dirty and ages so bad. THE WORST. Dealbreaker AF

[@inthefade]

I like when my gear looks worked. It lets people know at a glance that I *play* the dang thing! But to each their own ;)

[@LarcTald]

@@inthefade i can understand yr point -)

[@DNYLNY]

Opposite for me. It is one of my favorite features.

[@tsuobachi]

Built-in speakers? What is this, a kid's toy keyboard from 1985? That is the lamest thing I've ever seen. The original MPC live is actually better than the new one. Strange!

[@inthefade]

The price is ridiculous too. If you need the CV/gate the Force is now much cheaper, at least where I'm from.

[@tsuobachi]

@@inthefade Yes, and there are so many ways to convert midi to cv as well. It just seems like Akai would have been smarter to keep supporting the mpc live rather than making a new version of it.

[@tsuobachi]

@sneakydisco Just keep in mind that most people don't want them, but they still are baked into the price. So most people are paying for a feature they don't want. Not a huge deal, but worth considering imo.

[@Wagoo]

Well it's not as funny as the Jupiter X having built in speakers..

[@cyborgchimpy]

@@tsuobachi I only got a maschine a few months ago, and honestly..... The speakers man. I sometimes wanna move away from my desk but still make beats, however my maschine requires the laptop, and I love my laptop but the battery is horrible so I need to take the power supply, also USB cable and connect different speakers. Now with the MPC live II I pick up the motherfucker and move to where I wanna sit and continue my flow. The speaker just ads to being able to stay in the flow. As far as I heard the speakers aren't that bad. I don't expect to make an amazing mix with just the speakers.

[@lancepage1914]

I am so glad I didn't buy an MPC Live...

[@_o__o_]

nah fam

[@davidbray8652]

Another meh sampler... The market is saturated with trash.

[@hjhkjhre454554]

Can't help but think AKai has lost its way. Ableton with a Push is unassailable and I don't think AKai will ever match it. Standalone thing is meaningless for a majority. Start again and forget the legacy workflow. At the same time relaunch the MPC3000 with massive specs. Just I thought.

[@inthefade]

People love standalone. These units have sold like mad! I spent years waiting for a new standalone machine and these blew my expectations out of the water. Sure, they could use more RAM and you can't load 3rd party VSTs, but I like having a machine dedicated to music that has it's own character and I can have it on stage without a laptop.

[@Jason75913]

"meaningless for a majority" proofs?

[@Wagoo]

Akai actually make the Push hardware..

[@JEFFMAN90]

Ableton is dope but the push 2 is overrated and over priced

[@deepvibez]

LMFAO ROFLMAO OMFG FAIL AKAI